As a result of continuing pressure a Marconi Exhibition was held from
mid-March to end-May 2016 in Hall Street at the invitation of the developer on
the ground floor of this unique building.

Visitors saw rare photos, artefacts and equipment, heard talks by a range of
notable speakers and enjoyed special open events. This volunteer-led initiative
was organised by the Marconi Heritage Group and Chelmsford Civic Society in
collaboration with BBC Essex, supported by the Museum Service and a number of
individuals and organisations with Marconi connections. There is a continuing
presense on the MarconiScienceWorkX Facebook page, and a compendium of YouTube
videos which is listed on this sites Home page.

A new book was published in conjunction with the exhibition - details are
given on this sites Home page.

The story to date

There is still hope in the ongoing campaign to get a sustainable and viable
presentation of Marconi Heritage content in the original Marconi factory in
Hall Street in Chelmsford. As the first wireless factory in the world it is of
international significance and can therefore justify support as a site of
special heritage interest.

Although the whole building was subject to a successful planning application
for residential development, negotiations with the owners were undertaken with
a view to acquiring the ground floor for the creation of a community/heritage
asset - unfortunately insufficient funds were raised through the crowdfunding
initiative to achieve this but the Marconi Heritage Group is still working with
the Chelmsford Civic Society to get access to a part of the property.

We are still convinced that a successful application can be made to the
Heritage Lottery Fund but we have to find matching funding. We are therefore
continuing with national and worldwide appeals for support, as from the
earliest days the Marconi companies traded in an international market.

Our small group still needs additional help with the back-office work in
running the appeals, so both local boots-on-the-ground in Chelmsford and those
able to use the internet are invited to contact us through <webmaster@marconiheritage.org>
or by personal means to give us an idea of what support we can get.

We are determined to gain a facility to ensure the deserved and continued
recognition of the work of our founder coupled with that of the many thousands
who served in the companies as researchers, skilled tradesmen, professional
engineers and operators, which laid the foundations of the modern world.

Originally built by John Hall
as a silk warehouse in 1861, it was bought by Courtaulds to be used as a silk
weaving mill between 1865 and 1894.

For over 100 years the
Marconi Companies’ work in Chelmsford and Essex dominated and defined the
modern age of electronics, radio, radar, and mobile communications. The company
had a massive impact on the working and social lives of thousands of Essex
people, as well as on the County’s townscapes, especially that of Chelmsford,
‘reinforcing the importance of Essex in the global history of
telecommunications’.i The collapse of the Marconi group in 2001 still ranks
as one of the greatest catastrophes in British industrial history, Here is an
article that first appeared in the Essex Journal: